This was a venue I’ve been to a LOT of times, but I’ve never photographed a wedding in the Cary room, the largest of the two rooms. This is how it went, and how well the Abbey Sands Hotel looked after us all for the reception after!

My Son William was once again my Second Wedding Photographer for this wedding. What was exciting for me was… The Bride, Zoe, was his old teacher. His face when he realised who she was, was absolutely priceless 😁

We arrived an hour early, which is normal for us. I used that time to test lighting, look for different compositions, grab a coffee from the cafe, and then set up and wait for the guests and Groom to arrive.

Cockington Court ceremony rooms, although on the first floor, can be accessed via the first floor if you come in from the Rose Garden. You would park just past the shops, walk down to the rose garden and from there you enter through a door straight onto the first floor.

Let’s have a look at some photos…

After the ceremony, you come out into the Rose Garden and there you need to wait a few minutes for the paperwork to be completed. This is the perfect time to do some of the formal shots while you’re waiting.

Once you have the paperwork it is up to you where to go next. If it is a large group, I like to do the big group shot up near the church where there is plenty of room and a nice backdrop. You’ll need a nice wide lens but it’s a nice shot.

After some photos there and by the Wedding Car, supplied by The Windsor Carriage Company, we headed to Meadfoot and Thatchers Avenue for some photos by Thatchers Rock. The midday Sun was beating down on us all so I had an assistant hold a diffuser while I used a powerful strobe to balance the light in the scene. It is a great spot for Wedding Photos!

From there we headed to Abbey Sands Hotel for the reception. The reception room is huge and can be made even bigger by removing dividers. The light is bright and airy, just how I like it 🙂 A part of the room is darker than the rest but I used a strobe to light that area so the room was balanced.

Parking is an issue at the Abbey Sands Hotel, but there is a small car park nearby.

Get in touch if you’re looking for a Wedding Photographer in Torbay!

Wedding Photography Talk

This is a pretty simple day but because I had to contend with a midday summer’s sun, I had to use lighting on some shots to either get the backdrop or balance.

Photography Equipment used

I had my son second shooting with me so combined, we had:

• 2 x Sony A7IV
• 1 x Sony A9
• 1 x Sony A7iii
• Sony 85mm f1.4
• Sony 24mm f1.4
• Sony 24-70mm f2.8
• Sony 70-200mm f2.8 v2
• 3 x Godox V1
• 2 x Godox AD200
• 1 x Godox AD600 Pro